


love comes in twos

by luckygrub



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/F, Getting Together, Haikyuu!! Manga Spoilers, Weddings, background tsukkiyama and tanakiyo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-22 02:08:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30031416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luckygrub/pseuds/luckygrub
Summary: This is not a story of first loves.(Tanaka and Kiyoko's wedding brings a lot of familiar faces back into Sendai. Kanoka and Hitoka meet each other all over again, and discover they had a lot more in common than they previously knew.)
Relationships: Amanai Kanoka/Yachi Hitoka
Kudos: 5
Collections: Haikyuu WLW Bang





	love comes in twos

**Author's Note:**

> cw for: minor mentions of food and alcohol, and a mild description of anxiety. written for the haikyuu wlw bang on twitter! thank you to the mods for hosting this event :) 
> 
> the art is linked in the end notes!

**Ryu [20:01]**   
KANOKA SEND HELP   
wait how r u gonna help me ur in tokyo   
MOVE BACK TO SENDAI AND HELP ME

 **Me [20:02]**   
What's going on?

 **Ryu [20:03]**   
YOU HAVE A GAME IN SENDAI NEXT WEEK RIGHT

 **Me [20:03]**   
Yeah, you're coming, right?

 **Ryu [20:03]**   
COOL I NEED UR HELP

 **Me [20:04]**   
Of course   
With what?

 **Ryu [20:04]**   
sent _ring.jpg_.

 **Me [20:06]**   
_missed call (1)  
missed call (2)_   
RYU

 **Ryu [20:07]** SHHH you're gonna blow my cover COME TO ENNOSHITA'S HOUSE BEFORE YOUR GAME do u think he'll mind if i just give out his address

***

Kanoka is never told whether Ennoshita minded, but she shows up at his apartment the next week anyway. Her stomach flutters at the idea of spending an afternoon with a group of strangers, but Ryu will be there, and the expression on his face when he throws the door open tells her that he _really_ needs her help.

Ryu immediately wraps her in a tight hug, his face pressed into her shoulder. "Help me," he moans, his voice muffled by her jacket.

Kanoka laughs, patting him on the back awkwardly. "It's already going that badly?"

He grumbles something incoherent before straightening up. "No one is any help at all," he says, leading her into Ennoshita's house.

She finds herself sitting in a circle with the rest of Ryu's old classmates - they're not strangers, technically; she's seen them a handful of times over the years, most of them at volleyball tournaments when they were all teenagers. She almost feels like one for a second, but they're not teenagers anymore - they're all grown up, and they're helping Tanaka _propose_ \- the thought makes her heart flutter.

Ennoshita smiles at her. “Thank god you’re here,” he says. “I think he was about to pace a hole through the floor.”

She smiles back, the nerves in her stomach settling down. “I’m glad I could help,” she says. “What do you guys have so far?”

Nishinoya raises his hand. “I wrote ‘proposal’ on the board,” he informs her. “That’s about it.”

For the first time, Kanoka notices the whiteboard propped up against the T.V. - it indeed reads proposal, albeit in some of the worst handwriting she’s ever seen. “Glad you clarified, ‘cause I could not tell you what that said,” Ennoshita says dryly, and Nishinoya throws a marker at him.

The rest of the board is blank. Kanoka blinks. “Oh. Um. Is that it?”

“Yep,” Tanaka says, face pressed into the table-top. “We’ve been here for an _hour_.”

“None of us really know how to plan proposals, Tanaka,” Kinoshita points out.

“If anything, you’ve got the most experience,” Ennoshita says. “You’re the only one out of us who’s already proposed.”

The rest of the room bursts into laughter, except for Ryu. Kanoka stares at him. “What?”

“Man, the proposal at first sight,” Narita says. “Now _there’s_ a story to tell at the wedding.”

“What story?” Kanoka says curiously, and Ryu looks at her, eyes wide, gesturing for her to stop. But it’s too late - Ennoshita looks up at her, grin wicked.

"Oh, you've never heard this story?"

Ryu glares at him. "Can we _please_ not do this now-"

"No, no, you've gotta get a load of this- so it's Tanaka's first day in the volleyball club, right, and-"

"Guys, can we _focus_ -"

Ennoshita raises his hands. "Alright, fine," he sighs. "You heard him."

 _Text me_ , Kanoka mouths, and Ennoshita grins at her.

"Are you guys seriously exchanging numbers," Tanaka groans. "Come on."

"It's for proposal planning purposes," Ennoshita says innocently, passing Kanoka's phone back to her. "Hey, you should just propose there again."

Ryu looks up. "Huh?"

"At the gym. Where you guys first met." He pauses. "Wait a minute, that's actually not a bad idea."

Nishinoya laughs. "You came up with it!"

"Yeah, to make fun of him - this is actually good, though-"

Ryu grins. "Ennoshita, you're a _genius_ ," he says, and he turns around and starts writing on the board. "Do you think Take-chan will let me borrow the gym?"

"I'm not sure if it's up to him, but I'm sure he'll find a way," Ennoshita says. "Bowing master and all that. You should give him a call."

"Right," Ryu says. He writes _call Take-chan_ on the corner of the board. "How open would he be to me decorating the gym?"

"If you clean it up, it should be fine."

"Are the rest of us invited?" Nishinoya asks.

"Oh god, of course," Ryu says. "I need your help with all this stuff."

Nishinoya grins. "Great. You gonna invite the whole team?"

"Yeah, that would be nice, actually. You can hide in the gym somewhere."

"We can party after!" he whoops.

"Oh! You can tell her it's a reunion," Kinoshita suggests.

"Smart," Ryu says. "Although, if this was a real reunion, she'd probably be the one planning it."

"You could get Yachi in on this," Ennoshita says.

Kanoka turns to look at him. "Who-"

"Oh, Yachi - she was our other manager in high school," Ennoshita tells her. "She and Kiyoko are still pretty close, I think."

Kanoka knows - Kiyoko's mentioned her a few times, actually, although she calls her _Hitoka-chan_ instead. She mentioned wanting to introduce them more than once.

"She and Yachi could plan a fake reunion or something," Ennoshita says. "Oh, hey - were you planning on having it filmed?"

“Oh! Man, I didn’t even think of that,” Ryu says. "I mean, yeah? Does anyone have a camera?"

 _"Yachi_ does," Ennoshita points out. "You should ask her."

"Hey, Tanaka," Narita says casually. "When is this happening, again?"

Ryu freezes in the middle of writing on the board. "Um," he says.

"Well," Kanoka says hesitantly. "Christmas is coming up, isn't it?"

Ryu blinks at her, and he breaks out in a blinding grin. "Kanoka, you're _brilliant_ ," he crows, and he writes the date on the board.

Excitement blooms in Kanoka's chest. It feels like everything is falling into place.

***

 **Tanaka-san [15:38]**   
YACCHAN   
HELP   
EMERGENCY

 **Me [16:01]**   
What's going on?

 **Tanaka-san [16:04]**   
can you be at karasuno at 5 on christmas

 **Me [16:06]**   
I think I can make it…  
What's the occasion?

***

There's a sense of welcome familiarity when she steps into Karasuno's second gym for the first time in years.

It's mostly the same – same old wood planks and high ceilings Hitoka spent the bulk of her high school years under. Same winter chill leaking through the cracks in the window frames, rendering the gym a few degrees colder than it should be. Same dingy lighting that lit up the courtyard for hours on end until the team finally wore itself out.

Some things are different, though; the gym is lit up by cheap string lights, courtesy of Daichi and Suga, and Nishinoya is in the process of scattering flower petals all over the floor. And Tanaka is standing next to the stage with someone Hitoka can’t quite place, about to propose to Kiyoko.

Yeah. That’s different, too.

She walks a little further into the gym, and _oh_. That’s Amanai Kanoka. It’s been years since Hitoka saw her in person and not from the zoomed-out footage of a volleyball court – the last time must’ve been when Tanaka dragged the team to watch her games – but her face is not an easy one to forget.

“Yacchan!” Tanaka waves his arm frantically from beside the stage. “You made it!”

“Hi, Tanaka-san,” she says, his excitement pulling an easy smile out of her. “You ready?”

He returns the grin. “Ready as I’ll ever be. Oh,” he says, turning to Amanai. “I’ve been meaning to introduce you – Yacchan, this is Kanoka-”

“I remember,” Hitoka blurts out, and her face lights on fire. “From the Spring High! You took us to see her games.” Her voice is three octaves higher than usual. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Luckily, Amanai doesn’t seem to have noticed. “It’s nice to meet you too,” she says, smiling. “Kiyoko’s told me a lot about you.”

"She's told me a lot about you too," Hitoka tells her. "I've watched a lot of your games with them."

Amanai flushes beet red, which makes Tanaka laugh. He opens his mouth to say something, but Nishinoya's voice echoes across the gym, cutting him off.

“Oi, Ryu!" He's jumping up and down, holding his phone in a precariously loose grip. "Asahi-san just texted, they’re a few minutes away!"

Tanaka flashes him a thumbs-up, and turns to smile at them. He looks more nervous than Hitoka's ever seen him.

Kanoka rubs his shoulder, and tugs on his cuff links one more time. "You got this, Ryu."

"Yeah." He takes a deep breath, and smacks both sides of his face the way he used to during big games. The shaky smile turns back into his familiar grin. "Hey, Yacchan, you should set up the camera somewhere," he says.

"Oh! Right." Hitoka looks around the gym. "Is the stage good?"

"Yeah, I think that's a good place. Okay, guys, get outta here," Tanaka calls. "Go hide somewhere or something."

Hitoka sets up the tripod, and watches as the rest of them scramble onto the stage to tuck themselves out of sight. Amanai tugs on her arm. "Let's hide here," she whispers, and tugs Hitoka behind the curtains of the stage.

They crouch together on the edge of the stage, shoulder to shoulder as they watch the door for any sign of Kiyoko. She's lucky it's too dark to see much, because she can feel her face _burning -_ they're close enough that Hitoka can feel her warmth.

"I think she's coming," Amanai whispers. Hitoka nods, and presses the record button.

As if on cue, Kiyoko steps into the gym. There are snowflakes caught on her hair, her coat. She's gorgeous, haloed by the cheap white Christmas lights Tanaka bought to string up around the gym.

"Kiyoko," Tanaka calls, and he looked nervous before, but he doesn't look nervous now. He looks - sure. Firm. Hands steady on the ring box. And Kiyoko turns around to look at him and her hands fly to her mouth.

"I asked you to marry me here almost seven years ago," he starts. "I thought I might take my chances here again."

Kiyoko laughs, tears in her eyes. Her hand is still pressed to her mouth, trembling. Hitoka's hands are squeezed tight, nails dug into her palms.

"I had a big speech planned out, but you know I can't really remember those," he says, and Hitoka can hear Ennoshita's muffled laughter from across the stage. "I just wanted to say this - I love you. And I would be so, _so_ lucky to spend the rest of my life with you." He gets down on one knee, and smiles up at her. Angelic. "Will you marry me?"

The world seems to freeze in this moment. At some point, her hands found Kanoka's, and both of them squeeze, knuckles white. The whole gym holds its breath, waiting for her answer.

"Oh my god, Ryu," Kiyoko says. Her hand is still pressed to her mouth, eyes glittering with tears. "Yes, yes, _of course_ -"

And Tanaka whoops, lifting her up into the air, and they're both radiant underneath the Christmas lights. "Oh my gosh," Kanoka whispers. "They're gonna make me _cry_."

And Hitoka's got tears in her eyes too, as she watches him put the ring on her finger and kiss her in the same spot they first met almost seven years ago. They look so beautiful, so perfectly in love.

"Alright," Tanaka calls. "You guys can come out now."

Hitoka is the first one off the stage, almost knocking over the tripod on her way down. She crashes into Kiyoko, face pressed into her jacket. They're both laughing, and Hitoka's tears are soaking into the fabric. Kiyoko pulls away and narrows her eyes.

"I can't believe you were _in_ on it!" she exclaims. "Making me plan a fake reunion with you. No wonder I never saw it coming."

Hitoka grins. "Tanaka-san really thought it through."

"Yeah, that he did."

Amanai steps over and envelopes her in a hug too, and when they break apart Kiyoko smiles at the two of them. "Oh, you guys have met already, then? I’ve been meaning to introduce you two for years." Her smile is bright, a little teasing. "I always thought you’d get along well.”

They exchange a smile. "I think you were right," Amanai says, and something about it makes Hitoka's stomach turn somersaults.

***

Hitoka and Kiyoko did plan a reunion, after all, and the stuff they ordered had to be put to use _somehow_.

It is a reunion, technically speaking, although the rest of Hitoka's year is mysteriously absent. Food and drinks are set up on the far side of the gym, and there are a couple of horrendously orange balloons Hitoka hadn't managed to reason away. Nishinoya's speakers are set up, playing some cheesy love song that echoes around the room.

Hitoka is sitting on the stage, hands clutching her camera when Amanai appears next to her, holding two cups. "I brought you this," she says, offering one to Hitoka, which she gingerly takes. "I don't actually know what it is, Nishinoya gave it to me. But it's not terrible."

"Oh," Hitoka says. There's something warm in the pit of her stomach. "Thank you."

Amanai's smile is gorgeous, even in the dim lighting of the gym. "No problem." She hoists herself up onto the stage. "Is the video good?"

"Oh!" Hitoka glances at the camera in her hands. "I haven't actually looked at it yet."

Amanai smiles encouragingly, and Hitoka turns it on and presses play. Tanaka's voice carries over the speaker, tinny. Despite having watched this play out in front of her an hour ago, Hitoka starts to tear up again, and looks up to find Amanai in the same state.

They both laugh wetly, Hitoka wiping tears out of her eyes. "Oh my god," she says. "I really wasn't expecting to cry so much."

"Me neither! I'm just-"

"So happy for them!" Hitoka finishes, and they both burst into laughter. Hitoka's face is warm, and she _knows_ she's red, even though she hasn't even sipped whatever concoction Nishinoya has cooked up this time.

Hitoka is perfectly sober, but she feels a little bolder and braver than she usually does.

"You know," Hitoka says conversationally. "I used to be in love with her."

Amanai laughs. Her laugh is really pretty, Hitoka thinks distantly. "I used to be in love with him!" She covers her mouth. "But I'm sure you already knew that."

Hitoka smiles. "I remember. Vaguely."

"Oh, gosh," Amanai says, her voice quiet. "I wanted to hate her _so_ bad. But she's so lovely, you know? I couldn't blame him for loving her."

(Hitoka wanted to hate Tanaka, once. She found that pretty impossible too.)

"And now she's one of my best friends," Amanai says. She's watching Kiyoko and Ryu chat with Asahi and Nishinoya, hands linked, ring glittering. "It's funny how life works out sometimes, right?"

Hitoka sits next to Amanai at her unrequited crush's engagement party, and she can't help but agree. She's pictured this day in her head before, and it's always been filled with jealousy and sadness and resentment.

Instead, she's got a camera in her hands and a beautiful girl beside her, and she's got nothing but happiness in her heart.

Yeah. It is pretty funny how things work out sometimes.

***

The door to the Tanaka household flings open, revealing a smiling Kiyoko. "Happy New Year, Kanoka!" she says, wrapping her in a tight hug.

Kanoka returns the hug. "Happy New Year," she says.

The Tanaka home is a bit different than she remembers it - it's got a banner tacked up on the wall that reads _Happy New Year!_ and half-deflated orange balloons strewn around the living room. "I like the balloons," she says, trying not to laugh.

Kiyoko laughs. "Thanks. Well, we had to find something to do with them."

The living room is bright and full of chatter - Kanoka recognizes most of them from the proposal, plus a few more new faces. Everyone is spread out around the living room, holding plates of food. She walks over to Ryu, who helps her set out the food she brought - gyoza, from the place near her parents' house.

He grins at her. "Glad you could make it, Kanoka. When do you head back?"

"Tomorrow, actually," Kanoka says. "So this is perfect timing."

"Nice," he says, passing her a plate. "C'mon, let's go sit with them."

He drags her over to the living room, and introductions are made all over again. Kageyama Tobio, who Kanoka's met at press conferences a few times, nods at her from across the room. "I wasn't expecting to see you here, Amanai-san. I didn't realize you knew Tanaka-san."

"You're so nice to her," Ryu says mournfully. "And yet you're so mean to me."

"I didn't even say anything mean!"

Kanoka laughs. "Yes, we've known each other a long time."

"Yeah, stupid." Hinata Shouyou grew quite a bit since Kanoka last saw him, but is just as lively as he was back then. "She was the person he knew on the Queens team! Remember?"

"Oh. Yeah." Kageyama's expression clears up, and he smiles at her faintly. "It's nice to see you."

"You too," Kanoka says, as a knock sounds at the door.

Kiyoko scrambles to open the door, revealing a snow-covered Yachi. "Sorry I'm late!" she says, taking off her coat. She frees her hair from her hat, gold strands catching the light as she shakes her head lightly. "There's _so_ much snow outside, I could barely see."

Kanoka smiles, and Yachi grabs a plate and sits down next to her. Her heart beats a little faster - Yachi's still radiating cold, but Kanoka feels warm, so warm.

Conversation in the living room flows easily - Kanoka doesn't have much to say, but listening to them tell old stories and talk about their friends makes her heart warm. Her stomach hurts from laughing.

"Hey, Tanaka," Ennoshita says. "Have you guys decided on a wedding date yet?"

All eyes go to Kiyoko and Ryu, who exchange a look. "We have, actually," she says hesitantly.

Ryu puts his head on his hand. "We were thinking maybe April."

There's a beat. Hitoka's hesitant voice cuts through the silence. "Like... 2019?"

"Like three months from now," Ryu says, and the whole room explodes into chaos.

"Three months-"

"Guys, that's so soon, have you started planning-"

"Three _months_ -"

Ryu puts his hands up in surrender. "I know, I know," he says. "It's really soon. I just-" He looks at Kiyoko, and takes her hand. There's something unbearably soft in his eyes.

"We just don't see the point in waiting," Kiyoko finishes, squeezing his hand tightly. The whole room melts a little at her words.

"Yeah," Ryu says brightly. "I'd marry her tomorrow if I could, but I think I'd give Yacchan an aneurysm."

Kanoka turns to look at Yachi, who has gone statue still. She reaches out and touches her arm. "Breathe, Yachi," Kanoka laughs. "We'll figure it out."

Yachi shakes her head. "I think you're still going to give me an aneurysm," she says, but there's a smile on her face.

"It's going to be small," Kiyoko reassures her. "Just a little thing for our friends. But," she smiles awkwardly. "We wanted to ask you guys for help."

"Yeah," Ryu says. "Because we haven't even started planning and I'm already lost."

Kanoka laughs. "Of course, Ryu."

"You guys should make it orange-themed," Nishinoya says, dead serious. "Like Karasuno orange, you know?"

"Absolutely not," Kiyoko says, and the whole room dissolves into wedding planning chaos. The rest of the evening is spent debating the merits of an orange-themed wedding (there are none), and whether or not the cake will be shaped like a volleyball (not a chance). They bicker as the hours while away, and before Kanoka realizes it, it's time for them to leave.

She's just said her farewells when Yachi catches her at the door. "Hey," she says. "You're headed back to Tokyo soon, right?"

"Tomorrow, actually," Kanoka says. Her hands dig into the fabric of her coat.

"I just wanted to- Could I have your phone number?" Yachi asks, and Kanoka feels her face flush bright red. "I just wanted to be able to keep you updated with all the planning stuff."

Kanoka miraculously finds her voice. "Of course," she says, and she really hopes her voice isn't strangled. She enters her number into Yachi's phone, and hopes the lighting in the entryway is too dim to see the red on her face. She hands Yachi's phone back to her, and their fingers brush as she takes it. It feels like an electric shock.

"Thanks."

"Of course," Kanoka says. "Let me know if there's anything I can do to help."

"I will," Yachi says. "I guess I'll see you soon."

Kanoka smiles. Her heart is beating a mile a minute. "Yeah. See you around."

***

Hitoka arrived at the Tanaka household almost an hour ago, and they have yet to actually _plan_ anything.

Everyone is a little distracted - part of this is due to the fact that at some point since Hitoka was last here, the dining table has been transformed from a functional eating space to a storage area for wedding catalogues and tablecloth samples. The other part of this is because Nishinoya is here, and Ennoshita is not.

Kiyoko is flipping idly through a booklet of tablecloths, occasionally looking up to veto another horrible colour scheme idea cooked up by Tanaka and Nishinoya. Hitoka has stopped listening for her own sake. She's been searching through wedding venues for the past forty-five minutes, and the pictures of banquet halls and garden archways are starting to be burned into her eyelids. Her phone buzzing on the table provides a welcome distraction.

 **Kanoka [14:02]**   
How's the planning coming along?

 **Me [14:02]**   
Tanaka-san keeps calling beige things yellow.   
I would say it's going great so far!

 **Kanoka [14:03]**   
That sounds like him   
Ryu wouldn't be too fussed if the wedding was neon green and orange.   
I think he'd like it better that way, actually.

 **Me [14:04]**   
Oh god, don't give him any ideas.

 **Kanoka [14:04]**   
Don't worry, I'll keep my neon wedding plans to myself.   
Stay strong, Hitoka! You got this <3

Hitoka slides her phone into her pocket before she can overthink the heart emoji.

Kiyoko looks over at her. "Was that Kanoka?"

Hitoka can _feel_ her face turning red. "Oh! Yeah, um, she was asking how the planning was coming along."

"Oh, that's nice," Kiyoko says, looking back at the booklet of fabric swatches. "She's got a game tonight, right?"

"Yeah, against the Falcons. It's starting soon, actually."

"Ooh, tell her good luck!" she says excitedly. "It should be a good one, didn't they go up to five sets last time?"

"I think so," Hitoka says, pulling her phone out of her pocket. Her fingers hover over the screen for a minute, hesitant.

 **Me [16:06]**   
Kiyoko says good luck today! We're rooting for you.

It looks too serious. Hitoka glares at her phone for a second. Why is texting so _hard_?

 **Me [16:06]**   
Kiyoko says good luck today! We're rooting for you :)

She presses send before she can overthink a happy face, and turns off her notifications before stuffing her phone into her bag. She shakes her head slightly and turns to Kiyoko, who is pointing at a white cloth.

"What do you think about this one?"

"For the tablecloth? I like it."

Kiyoko nods. "Me too." She turns to Tanaka, who is squinting at a catalogue of tables with Nishinoya. "Ryu! What do you think of this one?"

He looks up, and nods brightly. "Wait," he says, face screwing up into a frown. "Is that different from the last one?"

Hitoka laughs, and Kiyoko shakes her head, grinning. "To be honest, I can't tell the difference either," she admits. "We're terrible at this."

"I think we should just eat on the floor," Tanaka says mournfully. "Who knew we had to _plan_ all of this stuff?

"Don't worry, I'm here to help," Hitoka says, laughing. "And this one is better than the other one, the fabric is less scratchy."

Tanaka and Kiyoko look at each other, and shrug. "Well," Kiyoko says. "I guess we have the Hitoka-chan seal of approval."

Hitoka smiles, but it doesn't quell the anxious feeling in her chest. But she's got this, right? She just has to be strong.

She takes a deep breath. "We've got a lot to do today," she says. "We should probably start with picking out a venue - then we can build everything else around that, and make sure nothing clashes."

The three of them stare at her. Tanaka's face breaks out into a grin, and Hitoka can't help but smile back. "Well, thank god you're here, Yacchan," he says. "Lead the way."

***

Hitoka should've known that planning for three hours would've been pushing it.

Nishinoya and Tanaka are surprisingly quiet, although they aren't doing any planning themselves either. Kiyoko is reading over wedding packages with glazed eyes, and even Hitoka's focus is beginning to fray, at this point.

It had been three painful hours of trying to keep everyone on track, but it was worth it. They did get quite a bit done, although not nearly as much as Hitoka would've liked. She managed to successfully find what was possibly the only venue in Sendai still accepting reservations for April - a little garden near Kiyoko's old college campus - and they decided on a colour scheme that was thankfully, neon free. Hitoka's computer is stuffed full of inspiration photos and links to wedding vendors. It's a good start, all things considered.

"Hey, Kiyoko," Tanaka's voice cuts through the silence. "Kanoka's game is starting, you wanna watch?"

"Yes!" Nishinoya's slumped over in his chair, face pressed into the table - he looks like they're back in high school, studying for exams. "Anything to get away from _this_."

Kiyoko sighs. "I do, Ryu, but we have a lot to do-"

"It's okay," Hitoka says, rubbing her eyes. "We got a lot done today, I think. We can take a break."

Kiyoko tilts her head. "Are you sure, Hitoka-chan?"

"Yeah! I think we're off to a good start," she says, smiling reassuringly, and Kiyoko nods.

"Thank god," she says, pushing her chair back and straightening up. "I feel like these wedding venue pictures are going to be burned into my eyelids."

Hitoka laughs. "Me too."

"Ryu, put the game on," Kiyoko tells him, and Nishinoya and Tanaka both let out cheers.

The television flickers on, showing Amanai's team - they're leading by two points - three, now, as Amanai spikes the ball into the floor. _That's Amanai from the left, once again, making her tally this game 6 points already, and the night is just starting-_ The commentator's cut off by the cheers in the Tanaka household, making Hitoka jump.

It's a familiar feeling, to be surrounded by these people as they watch Amanai score point after point. She first met her a little like this, at her first Spring High. She had been sixteen, then, and she hadn't really given Amanai much thought at all - she had been sixteen, and freshly heartbroken. Realizing that Kiyoko was in love with Tanaka was far more anticlimactic than she pictured, but it didn't soften the blow. When they got back to the hotel and met her and Hinata, Tanaka was carrying the manager's bag. He must've asked, and Kiyoko must've let him. And that was it.

She had seen Amanai a few times before that, talking to Tanaka outside their hotel, but she hadn't _really_ seen her until Tanaka dragged the whole team to go watch her games. The truth is that the first time she ever saw Amanai Kanoka, she hadn’t looked twice. But later, as she sat in the stands and watched her fly across Tokyo's orange court, pounding spike after spike into the floor, she thought she had never seen someone so beautiful.

***

 **Yachi [18:45]**   
That was amazing!!   
Congrats on making the playoffs!

Kanoka smiles at her phone, swinging her bag over her shoulder. The changeroom is buzzing with the high of their victory, and Hitoka's words warm her from her heart to her toes. _That was amazing!!_

 **Me [18:47]**   
Thanks, Yachi!

"Who're you texting?" Shouko pipes up, peering over her shoulder, and Kanoka nearly drops her phone.

"Nobody!" she squeaks out, which is absolutely the wrong thing to say. Shouko raises her eyebrows.

"You know, I wasn't really gonna pry, but now I've _got_ to know," she says, grinning. "Was it that girl you mentioned last time? Your friend's classmate?"

"No, and I'm pretty sure _Maiko's_ the one with a crush on her."

"Well, who was it, then?"

Kanoka frowns slightly. "She's, um." What is Hitoka to her, exactly? "One of Kiyoko's friends," she decides. "She helped manage their team back in high school."

"One of Kiyoko's friends," Shouko muses. "And you smile like _that_?"

Heat rushes to her cheeks. "Oh my god, Shouko," she mumbles. "It was _nothing-_ "

"Oh, nothing, sure," Shouko teases, dragging out her words so she can prolong Kanoka's torture. "She probably texted you _congrats_ or something, and you're here smiling at your phone like it's a living bundle of puppies-"

Kanoka covers her face. Shouko pauses. "Did she actually text you _congrats_?"

"Something like that," Kanoka admits.

"Oh my god, Kanoka," Shouko laughs, covering her mouth with her hand. She grabs Kanoka's arm and tugs her outside of the locker room. "You're _so_ cute. C'mon, let's go celebrate."

***

"So," Shouko says, sipping her drink. "Tell me about this girl."

They're sitting in a booth, tucked away in the corners of the izakaya, too far away for any of Kanoka's teammates to come rescue her. "This is unprofessional of you, captain," she teases.

Shouko laughs. "As a captain, it's my job to know everything about my teammates," she points out, smirk all too satisfied. "Now spill."

"She _is_ Kiyoko's friend," Kanoka says. "I met her when Ryu proposed, and she's been helping plan the wedding. I'm supposed to go back and help, actually. This weekend. "

"What's she like?"

Kanoka props her chin up on her arm. Pauses and thinks. "She's really sweet," she starts. "And she's pretty, and smart, and really hardworking. It's funny, you know. She used to have a crush on Kiyoko."

"Sounds like you two have a lot in common," Shouko says slyly.

Kanoka laughs. "I guess so. And that makes it so easy to talk to her, you know? There's always more to talk about. It's just so _easy_."

"Wow, you must really like her," Shouko laughs. "I've never heard you talk this much about anyone else."

Kanoka chokes on her water. "I don't- I'm not-" Shouko's raised eyebrow makes her shut up. "Okay, maybe I do. It's just a tiny crush, though."

"I dunno, Kanoka." Her voice is bright and teasing. "Those sound like famous last words to me."

"What do you mean?"

"Like one of these days, you're gonna realize it's not-so-small of a crush after all," she says.

"We've just met each other," Kanoka says, exasperated. "It's just a _little_ crush - I barely even know her."

"And yet you already like her so much."

"What're you two hiding over here for?" Misaki's smiling face pops up over the booth, and Kanoka has never been more grateful to see her. "C'mon, we're supposed to be celebrating!"

She tugs on Shouko's arms, who gets to her feet and looks back at Kanoka. "Famous last words, Kanoka-chan," she says, grinning, and Kanoka, rolling her eyes, follows them back to the rest of their team.

***

 **Me [10:32]**   
I'm almost here!

 **Yachi [10:33]**   
See you soon :)

***

Kanoka steps off the train into the bustle of Sendai Station - busy, especially on a Saturday morning. She scans the station for Yachi, and spots her waving her arm frantically. The sight pulls an easy smile out of her.

"Hey!" Yachi's voice is bright, and it sends something fluttering in Kanoka's stomach. "It's good to see you."

Her heart skips a beat. "You too."

Yachi looks at her watch. "Okay, so we really should get going - there's not a lot of time, and we have tons to do today. Tanaka's waiting outside, we have to meet the rest of them at their house."

"Sounds good," Kanoka says, and she follows Hitoka out of the subway station. She's never made the trip faster - before 11, they're sitting in Tanaka's living room, with the others all waiting there, ready to get started.

"Okay," Yachi says. She's half-hidden behind her laptop screen, but her voice is loud and clear. "We've got a lot we need to do today, so let's just get started - Tanaka, Nishinoya, Ennoshita - we have to find furniture rentals for the ceremony and reception. I have a couple of sites listed down, so you guys can start there."

Ennoshita nods, and she turns to Kiyoko and Kanoka. "You guys can help me with the rest of the decorations - stuff like tablecloths, and centerpieces and stuff. I've got a couple of ideas - Kiyoko mentioned that she wanted hydrangeas, since there are a lot of those in the venue - I thought that was a good idea too, so-"

Kanoka has no idea what a hydrangea _is_ , but she nods like she knows what Yachi's talking about. Her head is spinning with information - Yachi's already put so much work in, and it's only been two weeks since she was last here.

She can't quite reconcile the Yachi she met on Christmas with the Yachi she remembers from high school - Yachi at sixteen had trailed behind the rest of Ryu's team, four times as quiet and half a foot shorter than anyone around. The Yachi she sees now is still half a foot shorter, but she holds herself straight. Her voice carries over the noisy din, and when she talks everyone listens.

Kanoka is maybe a little in love with this fact, with the fact that she knows so much about weddings, with her confidence, with the fact that she stands up straight and leads the people she once trailed behind.

Kanoka is a little in love with her, which adds to Shouko's streak of being right about everything. Those really were famous last words.

"Kanoka." Kiyoko taps her on the shoulder. "Do you think the white is better, or the pink?"

Kanoka straightens up, and she leans over to look at Yachi's screen. This is going to be a very long day.

***

Maybe planning a wedding during finals week wasn't the best choice that Hitoka's ever made, but there certainly have been worse.

She's got a lot to do, but it's not terrible - she's only got her portfolio due in three days, and they just have to narrow down the rest of the vendors before the end of the week, and she just has to start on the invitation design- actually, Hitoka's not sure if there's been anything worse. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

She puts her forehead on her desk, stomach churning. It's been a long day already, and with all that there is to do, it doesn't look like it's going to end anytime soon. Her checklist's accusing eyes stalk her from the monitor on her desk. Panic builds inside her chest at the empty boxes. She has to get started. She has to-

"Yachi-san? Is everything okay?"

Hitoka isn't quite sure why her instincts led her to dial Amanai's number; technically, they've known each other a _month_. They're barely even friends. They're certainly not close enough to warrant something like _this_. And Amanai's kind, slightly tired voice tells her that it's getting to be a little late, especially for non-college students.

"Sorry," Hitoka says, rubbing her forehead. "Everything's fine. I didn't mean to bother you."

A beat passes. "Are you sure nothing's wrong? You don't sound well."

 _Damn_. "Everything's fine," she assures her. "I'm just a little tired, is all. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to call you so late-"

"No, it's fine," Amanai says. "I was just in bed - what's going on, Yachi?"

"Oh, nothing." Hitoka tries to make her voice light. "I'm just a little overwhelmed with everything. Lots of stuff I have to do. I'm really sorry, Amanai, it's nothing serious-"

"Hey." Amanai's voice is steady, soothing. Hitoka's stomach starts to settle. "Don't apologize, Yachi. We're friends. I'm here if you need to talk."

 _Friends_. Her throat is tight. "Thank you, Amanai."

"Of course," she says kindly. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Hitoka pauses. "I just- I feel like I'm doing everything badly again. Like I'm not giving my all."

She can see Amanai in her mind's eye, nodding on the other end of the phone, and it's like a floodgate opens. "There's just so much to do, and I can't do it all - it feels like _high school_ , you know? Everyone's giving their all, but I'm just doing things half-hearted all over again."

"I promised myself I would stop doing that," she admits. "But I'm here doing it _again_. I can't do my work well, and I can't plan this wedding well either. It's just all... awful."

Silence fills the line, and Hitoka's face starts to burn. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"No, it's okay," Amanai assures her. "Yachi, you're doing an amazing job - you're so organized and on top of it all. It's amazing that you're managing to do all of this at once."

She shakes her head. "It's not, though, it's all going _terribly_ -"

"Hitoka," Amanai says, her voice firm. Sure. The sound of her first name sends butterflies flying in her stomach. "This is going to be an amazing wedding. You are a _genius_ , and you're such a hard worker - and I don't know much about your schoolwork, but I know you're an amazing designer, and an amazing wedding planner. And you _are_ giving your all. You're doing more than the rest of us combined."

Hitoka laughs, and Kanoka plows on. "The rest of us are here to help, Hitoka. I'm here to help. Whatever you need. We're doing this together, right? It's okay to ask us for help."

God, Hitoka is in love with her.

"Thank you, Amanai." She pauses. "Kanoka."

Hitoka can hear her smile over the phone. "Of course," she says.

There's a brief pause. Then-

"Hey, you wanna watch a volleyball game?"

Hitoka hesitates.

"You sound like you need a break is all," Kanoka says quickly. "No pressure! Really. I know you have a lot to do."

Hitoka ponders this. The checklist is still there with its mocking eyes, but there are things on it that she doesn't have to do anymore. Because she's not planning this wedding alone.

"No, I'd love to," Hitoka says. "But how are we gonna watch together?"

"You can play it on your computer, I'll play it on mine. Any requests?"

"How about the Red Rabbits versus the Wolves," Hitoka says slyly.

Kanoka sucks in a breath. "Oh god, we're gonna watch me play?"

"Well, you're playing them again next week, right? It's good research."

"Fine, fine," Kanoka says, laughing. "The one from November?"

"The one where you were top scorer," Hitoka teases as she pulls the video up, and Kanoka's laughter makes her feel ten times lighter.

"Okay, fine, fine," she says. "I got it here. You ready?"

"Yep."

"Okay," she says. "Three, two one-"

They press play, but the commentary is a fraction of a second off - the cacophony that bursts from their speakers makes them both burst into laughter.

"Oh my god," Kanoka laughs. "Okay, let's start it over. Three, two, one-"

They're a little closer this time, but not totally synced. "Close enough," Hitoka says, and she hears Kanoka hear the same thing on the other end. They both burst into laughter again.

And even though Kanoka cheers at the points a split second earlier than Hitoka, and Kanoka's commentary comes just a little before Hitoka knows what she's talking about, it's the best volleyball match she's watched.

"Do you feel a little better?" Kanoka asks, after it's over.

"Lots," Hitoka says. "Thank you, Kanoka."

"Anytime," she says, and Hitoka can't help but smile.

***

 **Kiyoko [12:32]**   
Hey, are you coming back to Sendai anytime soon?   
We have to start dress shopping :)

 **Me [12:35]**   
Oh my gosh!!   
I have a match in Sendai next week - does Sunday work?

***

 **Hitoka [19:23]** invitation1.pdf What do you think?

 **Me [19:25]  
** Oh my gosh, Hitoka.   
They’re so beautiful!!

***

The match goes better than Kanoka could've imagined - they take it in just three sets, and Kanoka feels a little unstoppable.

She is signing jerseys when she hears her name being called, and Shouko and her both look up to see Tanaka, Kiyoko and Hitoka, lined up in the second row of stands.

"Looks like your fanclub is here," Shouko says teasingly. "What's on the agenda today?"

"Dress shopping, actually, but I'm pretty sure that was supposed to be tomorrow," Kanoka says, and she waves back at them, heart warm. "I didn't know they'd be here."

"That's so sweet of them," Shouko says, and she can't help but agree.

They make their way down to where she and Shouko are standing, and Tanaka tackles her in a hug. "Nice game," he whoops, and Kanoka laughs.

"Thanks," she says, hugging Kiyoko and Hitoka as well.

Hitoka's smile is just a tiniest bit smug. "You played even better than last time," she tells her, and Kanoka's face flushes. "Looks like watching the game was pretty good research."

Kanoka laughs, and Kiyoko smiles at her. "We were going to go grab some dinner, do you want to come with us?"

"It's on me," Tanaka adds. "We're celebrating, right?"

"Oh," Kanoka says, and she turns to look at Shouko, who waves her off.

"Go ahead, Kanoka," she says. "I'll tell the rest of the team. We'll see you Monday?"

"Yep." She turns to Kiyoko again, smiling easily. "I'd love to."

***

Kanoka's train back isn't until Sunday night, so her Sunday afternoon is spent in a dress boutique with Kiyoko and Hitoka. Ryu had wanted to come as well, but Hitoka had insisted that he went and got his tux fitted at the same time.

"It's bad luck to see each other before the wedding day," she had said. "Or something like that. I'm not really sure." In the end, Ryu had agreed, and so it was just the three of them in the dress store.

Kiyoko comes out of the changing room in the first dress, and the sight of her in white almost brings Kanoka to tears. Hitoka's eyes are glittering, and she and Kanoka both have to hide their faces so Kiyoko can't see their tears.

"Wow," Kiyoko says teasingly. "That bad, huh."

"No, you look gorgeous!" Hitoka sniffles. "Do you like this one?"

Kiyoko spins around to look in the mirror. "I do, but I don't know if I love the sleeves," she admits. "I never was a huge fan of long sleeves, but it's not as bad as I thought."

"Well, there are a lot more to try," Kanoka points out. "You can always come back to this one."

They don't ever get the chance to come back - when Kiyoko walks out of the changeroom in the fourth dress, she and Hitoka immediately fall silent. The video Kanoka was showing her plays on in the background, and neither of them can tear their eyes off of Kiyoko long enough to shut it off. The dress is cream coloured, cap sleeves and floral lace. The skirt flares out, barely grazing the floor. It's simple, elegant. Somehow all three of them seem to know that it's the one.

"Oh, it's perfect," Hitoka whispers, and Kanoka can't help but agree.

Kiyoko looks in the mirror, and her smile is radiant. That's all it takes to make Kanoka's vision blur, and she can hear Hitoka start to sniffle beside her.

Kiyoko turns back to glare at them, but her eyes are filled with tears too. "Oh my gosh, you two," Kiyoko snaps, her voice wobbling. "You can't _do_ that, it's just a dress!"

"I can't help it!" Hitoka wails. "It's perfect, Kiyoko, you look _perfect_."

Kanoka clears her throat, and nods quickly. "I think this one's it."

Kiyoko smooths down the dress. She catches Kanoka's eye in the mirror and smiles. "I think so too."

***

They leave the dress store an hour before Kanoka's train is set to leave - Hitoka's got some plans with her friends, so she leaves after making Kanoka _promise_ that she would not show the pictures to Ryu. She and Kiyoko make their way to the coffee shop near the train station.

They sit down and order, and Kiyoko’s grin turns teasing. “So. Hitoka-chan, huh.”

Kanoka’s face turns beet red.

"How did you-"

"I have _ears_ , Kanoka - I could hear you guys flirting from inside the changeroom-"

"We weren't flirting!" she protests, and Kiyoko rolls her eyes playfully.

"Well, _something_ was going on. I _knew_ you had a crush on her!"

Kanoka's forehead hits the table. "Oh god, please don't tell her."

"I won't, I won't," Kiyoko reassures her. " _You_ should tell her!"

"Oh god, no," Kanoka says immediately, looking up. "It'll just make things all _weird._ We're just friends, and she doesn't even like me as more than that-"

"You don't know that," Kiyoko interjects.

"But I don't know that she _does_ ," Kanoka points out. "I don't want to take that chance. I can't ruin this, Kiyoko."

Kiyoko studies her carefully, and takes Kanoka's hand. "I get it," she says softly. "But- I don't know." She laughs. "Maybe it's the wedding thing talking. But I think you should take that chance."

Kanoka presses her lips together, and Kiyoko goes on. "I spent a lot of time not taking risks, you know? And when Ryu and I- Well, you know what he's like. He's never spent a lot of time sitting on his feelings like you and me. He never thought about dialling it down - he just jumped right in, all the time. And a lot of the time it backfired, but he just kept going. He always kept going.

"And I guess I just don't see the point anymore. Of sitting, and waiting. I didn't want to get hurt, but Ryu never thought of that, and he _got_ hurt, but he always picked himself back up." She pauses. "I don't know. I'm not making a lot of sense. I guess it's just that I'm in love, and I'm getting _married-"_ They both laugh. Kiyoko rubs her thumb along Kanoka's hand. "I get it. But- just think about it, okay?"

"I will," Kanoka says. "I will."

***

"I'm here, I'm here!" Hitoka slides into the booth where Tsukishima and Yamaguchi are sitting. "Were you waiting long?"

"Not really, we just ordered." Tsukishima passes her a cup of water, which she takes gratefully. "How was dress shopping?"

"Oh, it was great!" she says. "The dress is amazing, Kiyoko looks _so_ good."

Yamaguchi grins at her. "Did you cry?"

"Of course," she laughs. Her phone buzzes on the table.

 **Kanoka [5:43]**   
kiyoko1.jpg   
kiyoko2.jpg   
Here are some of the pictures from today!   
I just saw the second draft of the invitation, by the way - they’re looking really good :)

Hitoka smiles at her phone, and types a quick _thank you!!_ before tucking her phone into her bag. She looks up, and finds both of them staring at her.

"What?"

"Who was that?" Yamaguchi asks curiously.

"Oh! Kanoka," she says. "She was sending me some pictures she took today of the dress so I can use them for reference. You wanna see?"

Yamaguchi's grin is _evil_. "Oh, yeah," he says. "But first I wanna know why you were smiling like _that_."

She stares at him. "Like what?"

"I dunno," he says. "Like-"

"Like you're in love with whoever's texting you," Tsukishima supplies, and Hitoka's face lights on fire.

"I'm not- It's not-" she sputters. "She just said my designs were nice, that's all!"

Yamaguchi tilts his head. "Wait-"

"It was very nice of her to say, and it made me smile-"

" _Wait_ ," he says. "You're showing her your designs? Are you done them yet?"

"No, she's helping me work on it-"

"You're showing it to her before it's _done_?"

She frowns. "Yes, that's how it _works_ -"

The two of them look at each other. "Oh my god," Yamaguchi whispers, like Hitoka isn't sitting a foot away from him. "She never does that- You never do that!"

"She's never shown me," Tsukishima confirms. His smirk is infuriating. "Must be someone _special_."

"I do show you guys my stuff!" Hitoka protests.

"You show us your stuff when you're _done_ ," Yamaguchi corrects. "I've known you six years and you've never shown me stuff you're still working on-"

"Wow, it's like you don't even like us," Tsukishima says dryly, and Hitoka pelts him with her napkin.

"It's just ‘cause she's helping with the planning!"

"Mhm, yeah." Tsukishima nods. "Hey, just out of curiousity, have you shown Tanaka and Shimizu-san yet?"

Yamaguchi bursts into laughter. Hitoka wants to _kill_ them.

She puts her head in her hands. "I don't want to show them until it's done," she mumbles, and Tsukishima's smirk is the most self-satisfied she's ever seen it. "It's just designs, okay? You don't have to read into it so much."

"Too late," they say in unison, and Hitoka's forehead hits the table. It's going to be a very long night.

***

Finals day dawns on them sooner than Kanoka expected.

The days are all blurring together, in a mixture of practice and wedding planning and Hitoka, always Hitoka. There are only three or so weeks to go until the wedding, and three or so hours to go until the season is over. Three days until she goes back to Sendai, and can see them again. See _Hitoka_ again.

Shouko claps her on the shoulder. "Are you ready, Kanoka?"

Kanoka's stomach is fluttering with the familiar adrenaline that comes before a game, and she nods. "Of course," she says, and Shouko grins at her.

***

Kanoka lands after her jump, the impact shocking her knees, and she ducks under the net to see the ball hit the floor. 25-23. The championship is theirs.

Her teammates crashing into her back knocks the wind out of her, and Kanoka can't see a thing through her tears. Her heart is pounding out of her chest, adrenaline still surging. They won the _championship_ , and she scored the winning point.

The rest of the afternoon is a blur of interviews and awards - Shouko takes her hands and lifts the trophy above their heads, and Kanoka can't wipe the smile off her face. Her eyes are still blurred almost two hours later, which is why she doesn't spot Hitoka at first.

Shouko is the one to see her, and they're walking towards the changerooms when Kanoka feels the nudge in her side. "Hey. Is that her?"

Kanoka rubs her eyes, and- it really is Hitoka standing there. Her hands are clutched at the strap of her purse, and she's actually _here_ , all the way in Tokyo - Kanoka's heart feels six times too big.

It's a miracle that she can find her voice. "Hey," she says, and she sounds absolutely _awful_ , but she can't even bring herself to care. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I was just in the area," Hitoka says, smile bright and easy. "Figured I would stop by and see you win."

"Thank you," Kanoka says, and she's still stunned. She knows her cheeks are flushed, and Shouko's smirk is palpable.

There's a pause, and Shouko speaks up. "I'm Shouko, by the way. It's nice to meet you, I've heard lots about you."

Hitoka startles slightly, and smiles at Shouko. "It's nice to meet you too."

"Say, Hitoka," Shouko says casually, and Kanoka immediately tenses up. "We're going to celebrate at my house, so why don't you join us?"

"Oh!" She blinks, surprised. "Oh, no, I wouldn't want to impose-"

"Not imposing at all!" Shouko's grin is evil. "The more the merrier, right, Kanoka?"

Kanoka studiously ignores Shouko, and smiles at Hitoka. "Right. You should come, Hitoka. It'll be fun."

Hitoka flushes red. "Oh, um. Alright."

That's how they find themselves at Shouko's house, with loud music blaring from her speakers, and Kanoka's twenty person team shoved into a space meant for far fewer.

"Oh my god," Misaki gasps. "Is that your girlfriend, Kanoka?"

"I'm not- she's not-" Kanoka takes a deep breath. "This is my friend, Hitoka. Hitoka, this is Misaki - she's our setter."

"I remember," Hitoka says, smiling. "It's nice to meet you."

It's awkward, to introduce Hitoka to the whole team when all of them know about Kanoka's painful crush on her - spending most of your time cooped up together in the gym means that you find out quite a bit about each other. Most of them leave them be, though - she and Hitoka sit on Shouko's stairs, far away from the center of the party.

"Oh, no," Hitoka says, laughing. "I'll definitely be the first one to cry - are you kidding?"

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, if I were you," Kanoka says. "I feel like you'll outlast me."

Hitoka snaps her fingers. "Alright, you know what? Whoever cries last has to buy the other dinner."

Kanoka bursts into laughter. "Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?"

"Oh, you're just saying that ‘cause you think you'll lose," Hitoka says, serious, and Kanoka dissolves into laughter all over again.

"Alright," Kanoka says. "You're on, Hitoka."

There's a lull in the conversation, and Kanoka's eyes drift over to Shouko and her teammates, laughing together as they try to take a picture with their medals. The silence would feel awkward with anyone else, but it just feels comfortable with Hitoka.

"You didn't have to stay with me this whole time," Hitoka says softly. "You should be celebrating with them - I can find somewhere else to go, my mom's coworker is expecting me soon anyway-"

"No, it's nothing," Kanoka says, the words coming out of her in a rush. "I don't mind. I wanted to stay with you. Really."

"Plus," she adds. "I've got lots of chances to celebrate with these guys."

"Right," Hitoka says, smiling. "You just have to win a championship again, which I'm sure is a piece of cake."

Kanoka nods wisely. "Exactly. You get it."

Hitoka laughs, and she's gorgeous, Shouko's colourful lights cast over her face. They stay there the rest of the night, chatting on the stairs until Hitoka checks her watch and realizes she _really_ has to go.

"I can walk you there," Kanoka says, grabbing her coat, and Hitoka shakes her head.

"No, no, you stay here-"

"No, I really don't mind, Hitoka," she assures her. "I was just going to leave anyway."

She bids a quick farewell to her team, half of whom try to wink subtly at her, and fail spectacularly. She meets Hitoka on the steps of Shouko's house, and they set off.

Kanoka kicks a rock down the sidewalk. "Have you written your speech yet? For the wedding?"

"Oh my god," Hitoka mumbles. "I forgot about that - no, I haven't. Have you?"

"God no," Kanoka laughs. "Looks like we're both going in unprepared."

"How many people do you think are mentioning the proposal at first sight story?"

Kanoka ponders this. "At least seven," she says seriously, and Hitoka bursts into laughter.

"Probably," she agrees. "That's such a good story, though."

"I know! I wish I could've seen it in person."

They come to a stop in front of an apartment building, and Hitoka shuffles her feet.

"Thank you," Hitoka says. "For staying with me tonight."

"It's no problem." Kanoka smiles. "Thank _you_ for coming. You saved me from a night of Shouko's horrible cocktails."

Hitoka laughs, looks down at her shoes. "Anytime."

"So," she says awkwardly. "I'll see you in Sendai, then."

Kanoka nods. "Right. See you in Sendai."

Hitoka smiles at her one last time, and pushes through the door of the apartment complex. Kanoka stays there for a second, and takes a deep breath.

"Three more days."

***

Meeting up with Yamaguchi and Tsukishima for lunch has become a nightmare, because inevitably, it starts like this.

"So." Yamaguchi's smile is angelic, because he's an excellent liar. "How's Kanoka."

"She's fine," Hitoka mumbles. Presses her head to the table. "She's... great."

"You went to Tokyo, right? To surprise her?"

"I did not go to Tokyo to _surprise her_ ," Hitoka says, lifting her head up to glare at him. "I was... in the area."

Hitoka does not like the look they exchange. "Uh huh," Yamaguchi says, nodding. "Sure."

"Really! My mom asked me to do some stuff at the Tokyo branch - stop _nodding_ like that!"

She does not mention that her mom hadn't needed her to go until the week after. There are some things that are better left unknown.

"How was it?" Tsukishima's smirk is almost as annoying as Yamaguchi's smug smile, and Hitoka's lucky enough that they both happen to be directed at her right now.

"It was fun," Hitoka mumbles. "I met her teammates, they're all really nice."

"Okay, but how did it go with Kanoka?" Yamaguchi is relentless. "Did you guys hold hands? Did you guys _kiss_? Did you finally confess your boundless feelings for her-"

"Oh my god, _no_ ," Hitoka laughs. "We just hung out, okay? We're just friends. She probably doesn't even like me."

Yamaguchi rolls his eyes. "You sound like Kei," he tells her. "Like Kei back in _high school_."

Tsukishima narrows his eyes. "Oh, shut up."

"I am _not_ that bad," Hitoka protests, and Yamaguchi raises his eyebrows.

"Sure," he says. "You guys just hung out with her team? Wasn't that awkward?"

"Not really," Hitoka says. "They're all really nice. Plus, we left a little early."

He frowns. "You guys left early? How early?"

"I don't know, pretty early. I told her she didn't have to, but-"

"Oh my god." Yamaguchi is positively gleeful. "She left this celebration with her whole team early to hang out with you? Yachi, she's definitely in love with you."

"What? No! She's just-"

"No, he's got a point." Tsukishima says, laughing.

Hitoka huffs out a breath. "She's just a nice person, okay? It would've been weird otherwise-"

"It would've been pretty normal otherwise," Tsukishima says. "She left because she wanted to spend time with you."

"She's just very nice," Hitoka says. "And considerate. And sweet. And-"

"Okay, we get it." Tsukishima's voice cuts her off, which she's almost grateful for. "She's perfect and you're in love with her."

Hitoka drops her head to the table again. "She _is_ perfect," she wails. "And I _am_ in love with her - oh my god, what am I gonna do?"

“Ew, just ask her out already,” Tsukishima says, sipping coffee like _no big deal._

“Oh, you say that like it’s so easy,” Yamaguchi says, grinning, his voice singsong and smug. “Don’t think I forgot about it, Kei. Remember all those years you spent pining?”

He flushes red up to his ears. “Shut up, Tadashi.”

“Sorry, Kei!” he says, but his shit-eating grin and the wink he drops in her direction tells Hitoka that he will not be shutting up. "He’s got a point, though."

"I know I do," he says, frowning. "What's stopping you, Yachi? She clearly likes you-"

"Yamaguchi clearly liked you."

"Yeah, well, I was seventeen and stupid," he says, annoyed. "You're not seventeen or stupid."

Hitoka lifts her head. "I don't know," she admits. "Sometimes it feels like that. Can we please change the subject before I embarrass myself further?"

They exchange a look, and Yamaguchi shrugs. "Sure," he says. "Hey, did I tell you? Apparently Hinata made it past the first round of tryouts."

The conversation flows easily from there, from Hinata to professors at their university, to classmates. But Tsukishima's voice bounces around her head the whole time, even after she leaves the cafe, after she goes home and parks herself in front of her laptop, double checking flower arrangements and decor. _What's stopping you?_ His voice echoes around her head for hours, bouncing around inside her skull, making her feel 15 and hesitant and _stuck_ , feet glued to the floor in the Karasuno gym, wondering if she was good enough to step inside. What’s stopping her? She finds an answer at 2 in the morning, and dials Tsukishima’s number before she even realizes what she’s doing.

He picks up.

“You know, 2 am is pushing it, even for me,” he says, voice annoyed but wide awake.

“Sorry,” she says quickly. “We can talk tomorrow-”

“It’s fine, we both know I wasn’t sleeping,” he says, papers shuffling in the background. “What’s up.”

“I don’t want to ruin it,” Hitoka blurts, and it all comes tumbling out. “I’ve never felt as seen as I am around her. She _gets_ it. I don’t have to explain myself to her, and what if-” She runs a hand through her hair, heart racing. “What if I ruin it? What if she doesn’t like me? What if she does? What if we date, and- and something happens and we can’t come back from it? She’s my friend, she’s my _best friend_ , I don’t want to lose her.”

She flops back onto her bed, staring at her ceiling. “I don’t think I can go back to not knowing her,” she admits. “And - it’s good, the way it is right now. It’s good. I don’t need more. ”

He’s silent for a minute.

“God,” he says finally. “You do sound _exactly_ like me.”

"Oh my god," she says. "Please don't tell me I'm _that_ bad.”

"You're worse, actually, but I was trying to spare you the pain of having to hear it."

Hitoka plants her face in the pillow and considers screaming.

"I've been there, okay? You play this game with yourself - you convince yourself you can live as her friend, her _best friend_ \- it never works. It’s not enough.

"I'm not saying friendship is never enough, but to spend a lifetime sitting on it - to never know - I think that's worse, Yachi. It'll always be this what-if in the back of your mind, you know?"

“Trust me,” Tsukishima says, voice soft in a way it never is in real life, fuzzy over the crackle of Hitoka’s phone. “It’s not enough. It’s worse to spend your life wondering."

She ponders this. “Worse than losing her?”

“Well,” he says, and Hitoka can hear his smile. “I wouldn’t exactly know, would I? I never had to find out. But Yachi - you’ll survive. No matter what happens.”

"If she doesn't love you, it doesn't have to change things, you know," he says. "It's not middle school - you're adults, for God's sake. And you're also her best friend - she's not exactly jumping for a chance to throw your relationship in the trash. Besides, you and Shimizu-san managed just fine."

"I never told her how I felt, though."

"Well, you weren't exactly subtle."

He raises his voice over Hitoka's protest. "Don't deny it. Listen, neither of you are seventeen. And neither of you are stupid. You can do this, Yachi."

She stares at her hands. "Yeah. Thank you, Tsukishima."

“And Yachi,” he says, and there’s something in his voice that’s ridiculously soft, so loving it makes her heart ache. Something that stops Hitoka in her tracks and makes her think _god, I want this too._

“Sometimes it works out.”

***

Hitoka’s brain spent the better half of the week convincing her that it was going to rain, but the weather is perfect - blue skied and cool and breezy.

The venue is gorgeous - Kiyoko had picked it, this small garden near her college with a cherry blossom tree. ("We used to go on dates here, when I was in school," she tells Hitoka. "It's lucky that they let us use it.") The tables that Tanaka chose are covered in flowers, and the chairs are set up in rows near the front of the garden - after the ceremony, they'll move those to the tables for the reception.

Everything is perfect, really. Hitoka couldn't have asked for things to go any better.

Kanoka is helping set up the placecards - there aren't many, just over twenty - it really is just a wedding for the people that they love the most. She spots Hitoka and smiles.

"You look good," Hitoka tells her. This is an understatement - she looks so beautiful it makes Hitoka's heart ache. She's wearing a pink jumpsuit, sweetheart neckline. It suits her.

Kanoka blushes. "Thank you," she says. "So do you."

It's Hitoka's turn to flush, and she looks away to hide it. "Thank you for setting the tables up," she says. "I'm going to go check on Kiyoko - do you mind keeping an eye on things here?"

Kanoka nods, and Hitoka sets off to find Kiyoko. They’d set up a makeshift 'bridal suite' in the visitor's center of the garden, which is working out fairly well.

Kiyoko is standing inside, already dressed. She turns around when she hears Hitoka enter, and her smile is the most radiant thing Hitoka's ever seen.

Hitoka can't help but smile back. "How are you feeling?"

"Good," Kiyoko says easily.

"Ready to get married?"

"Yes," she laughs. "I'm _perfect_ , Hitoka-chan. I feel so _happy_ , and in love - God, you should tell her, you know? There's no use staying quiet about it."

Hitoka coughs. "Who-"

"Kanoka," Kiyoko says knowingly. "There's too much wrong with the world to stay quiet about love, Hitoka. You should tell her."

She looks radiant. She looks like she's glowing, and they're not even outside yet - Hitoka thinks that once they are, she might just burst into tears. Kiyoko is gorgeous, she's perfect - she's about to be married to the love of her life, and she's telling Hitoka to not stay quiet about her love.

(What choice does Hitoka have but to listen?)

"I will," Hitoka says, her eyes burning. "Are you sure everything's alright, though?"

Kiyoko takes her hands, and smiles, eyes bright with tears and love. "I'm perfect, Hitoka-chan. I'm getting _married_."

Hitoka squeezes her hands back. Everything is perfect.

***

 **Me [15:56]**   
Not sure if this counts towards the bet but Kiyoko just made me cry

 **Kanoka [15:58]**   
Oh my god, Hitoka   
The wedding hasn't even started yet!   
It doesn't count, by the way. We're still on.

***

The sun is starting to set, casting rose gold light all over the garden. The sky is dyed golden, and it makes the decorations look ten times as beautiful. The sun is right behind the cherry tree, the last trickles of sunlight sliding through tree branches and blossoms.

Everyone is here, already, and seated in the three rows of chairs. Tanaka stands at the front under an archway, handsome in his grey suit.

The music starts, and everyone turns around to watch Kiyoko walk down the aisle. Hitoka's seen her in the dress a million times, but it never gets old. She's holding a bouquet of roses, light pink, and she looks like an angel. She and Tanaka stand at the front, hands linked, as the sun sets above them, and it's absolutely perfect.

The officiant starts to speak. She wipes her eyes, and looks over to find Kanoka doing the same thing. "Who won?" she whispers, and Kanoka stifles a giggle.

"I did," she whispers. "I think you should've saved your tears for the reception."

Hitoka has to muffle her laughter with her hands, and she turns to the front as the officiant passes a paper to Tanaka.

"Kiyoko," he starts. "I think I've always known I've loved you, from the very first day. No doubt they're going to tell this story a million times, so I'll just get it over with." Everyone laughs. "I was a little stupid, at fifteen - I mean, I _proposed_ to you, for god's sake. But I think I might've been onto something back then - and who would've thought that you would've let me stick around to do it all over again seven years later."

Kiyoko's eyes are glittering with tears.

"I took a leap- a very big leap that day," he corrects. "And I must be the luckiest person alive because here I am, getting married to you."

"I've always loved to jump headfirst into things, and you- you keep me tethered. The world's a big and confusing place, but no matter how far I go I know I have a lifeline that leads me right to you."

Hitoka's eyes are filled with tears all over again. Ryu clears his throat.

"Kiyoko, I've never been the kind of guy to stay quiet about how I feel, and I don't plan on starting. I'm not that great at words, either," he says, laughing. "There are a million things I want to promise you, but I don't think I should hold up the crowd for too long. So I'll just keep it simple. I promise that I'll always be there for you, no matter what. I promise that I'll always love you."

He smiles at her, eyes bright. "And I promise that you'll always know it."

There are tears rolling down Kiyoko's cheeks now, and Tanaka laughs and fishes tissues out of his pocket. Kanoka nudges her side, and passes her a tissue as well. She's already got one crumpled in her hand - there isn't a single dry eye in the crowd.

The officiant holds out a paper for Kiyoko next, and Hitoka looks up as Kiyoko starts.

"Ryu," she begins. "The first time you proposed to me, I said no." Everyone bursts into laughter. "The truth is, I really didn't know what to think. But I am so, so blessed that you stuck around long enough to ask me a second time. And I am so glad that you gave me the chance to say yes."

"You make me so," she breathes out. "Unbelievably happy. You have been my rock, my one constant in the past five years. You make me sure. I am sure about you. I'm sure that I love you. There are a million things that could go wrong in life, but there's nothing I couldn't face without you."

Her smile is angelic. Perfect. "Ryu," she says firmly. "I promise that I will be your rock too. I promise that I will always be there for you to come back to."

"I promise that I will love you for the rest of my life, and a little more for good measure."

Tanaka buries his face in the crook of his elbow, and the cheering when they say their _i dos_ is deafening. Hitoka looks at Kanoka through a layer of tears, and she feels light enough to float away.

***

"I'm just saying," Hitoka says. "I'm pretty sure Nishinoya was crying before either of us were."

Kanoka is dragging the last chair over to the tables, and she laughs. "I think you're right, actually," she admits. "I don't even think he lasted a second."

"Well, I guess that means we both lose."

"We can buy each other dinner, then."

Hitoka shrugs, smiling. "Let's do it."

The space has been completely transformed - the archway has been replaced with speakers, and trays of food line the sides of the garden. The place where the aisle once was now houses one of five round tables, each covered in pink flowers and green leaves. The sun is almost completely gone, now, and the lights have come on - half rented, half repurposed Christmas lights from the proposal.

"Oh, Hitoka," Kiyoko says from behind her. "It looks amazing."

The rest of the guests are back as well, and they start settling down to eat. It's casual, informal - no one is sticking to their assigned seats for long, and everyone is milling around, trading stories and laughing. Hitoka sticks to her seat, though - she's not sure if her legs will support her if she gets up.

Kanoka's voice jerks her out of her reverie. "Are you alright, Hitoka?"

Her eyes are kind, full of concern. "Oh, I'm fine," Hitoka says. "Just nervous for the speeches."

Kanoka laughs. "Me too," she admits. "I'm not big on the public speaking thing."

"I'm worried I'm going to squeak," Hitoka mumbles. "Or something equally as embarrassing."

"You'll be fine," Kanoka reassures her. She squeezes her hand tightly. "Just breathe."

Hitoka takes a deep breath, and lets it out, and she feels the world steady just a little bit. "Thanks, Kanoka."

Kanoka smiles. "Anytime. Hey, you let Ennoshita start with the speeches, right?"

"Yep."

"Oh, that's going to be amazing to watch."

Hitoka laughs, and the night flows easily away. The warm laughter flows over her gently as they eat and talk and tell silly stories. There are a handful of speeches that happen before Kanoka's - Ennoshita tells the group about no less than four times Tanaka's embarrassed himself in front of Kiyoko. Suga and Daichi each manage to get through about three words before starting to cry, and Nishinoya manages to do better than both of them, holding it together until the very end. Finally, the mic is passed to Kanoka, who takes it and stands up.

It must be nerve-wracking for her to speak in front of all these almost-strangers - her legs tremble a little as she stands, and Hitoka tugs on her arm lightly.

"Breathe, Kanoka," she says teasingly, and Kanoka smiles. Takes a breath and unfolds her paper.

"I've known Ryu since I was a little girl," she starts. "And it's been one of the greatest pleasures of my life to watch him fall in love with her - to watch them _both_ fall in love with each other."

Kiyoko presses her hands to her heart, and Kanoka smiles at them. "I consider myself lucky to have grown up in the presence of their love - to have been able to watch them grow up and go from having their first date to getting married. To have watched their love for each other form this little family and bring so many people together. I am so happy for the both of you."

"I've known Ryu for a long, long time, and he's always loved so loud - and he loves Kiyoko so loudly that anyone who meets him falls a little in love with her too." Her voice catches, and she laughs. "It's inspiring, really, to have seen this kind of love, one that can't be contained in just their lives. I know that no matter what happens, if you have each other, you'll be okay."

"Congratulations, you two," she says. "May your marriage be full of happiness and hope."

***

Kanoka sits down, heart still racing, and passes the microphone to Hitoka. Hitoka grins at her. "That was pretty good," she says, smiling approvingly. "I think you made them both cry for the fourth time today."

Kanoka laughs. "Tough act to follow," she says teasingly. "The floor's yours, Hitoka."

Hitoka grins, and raises the microphone to her mouth. "Good evening, everyone," she says, voice sweet and lilting. "Let me just say that I am glad this whirlwind of wedding planning is _finally_ over."

Kanoka laughs, and Hitoka straightens up, bolstered. "Helping to plan this wedding is one of the hardest things I've done in my whole life," she says. "Anything I seemed to come up with paled in comparison to the love that they had for each other. I don't think there's anything on this planet that could represent the two of them perfectly, but." She shrugs. "I think it turned out pretty awesome regardless."

"I've always been a little in awe of them, of how two people so different could love each other so similarly, who could work so hard to make themselves _work_. Tanaka-san's proposal at first sight might make them seem like soulmates, but I think that takes a bit of the magic away, to be honest." Hitoka turns to smile at them. "Their reality is far more magical. No matter how far apart they are, no matter how many obstacles force them apart - they have always managed to find their way back to each other."

Kanoka's throat tightens, eyes burning for the millionth time that day.

"I am so happy that you have managed to find this kind of love," Hitoka says, and she has to clear her throat to continue. "There's no one that deserves it quite like the two of you do."

She raises her glass, eyes glittering. "To the Tanakas," she says. "And to the love that you share."

***

The music that Nishinoya chooses is perfect - soft, sweet. Something to slow dance to. Ryu and Kiyoko start the night off, but he migrates over to where Kanoka's sitting after a couple of songs.

"Done already?" Kanoka asks teasingly.

"Oh, I left her to Suga-san," he answers, flopping into the chair beside her. "I think he's already outpaced Daichi, too."

Kiyoko and Sugawara are indeed dancing, and Daichi is watching them both fondly from where he's sitting with Azumane. Kanoka's eyes drift over to Hitoka - she's dancing with Hinata, laughing as he spins her wildly around.

She's beautiful underneath the sparkling lights, her pale green dress flowing in the tiny breeze. Kanoka can't take her eyes off of her.

"So," Ryu says slyly. "A little birdie told me that you were in love with Yacchan."

She jerks her head towards him. "I-"

"And by little birdie, I mean you flirting with her incessantly over the last three months, but Kiyoko told me as well." He laughs at her expression. "You weren't being very subtle, Kanoka."

"I wasn't _that_ obvious," Kanoka grumbles.

"It was obvious to just about everyone but her," Ryu teases. "You were always looking at her."

"I think I should tell her," Kanoka says. Her eyes are fixed on her again, following her movement as she glides across the dance floor. "I just don't know how."

“You just gotta do it, Kanoka!” Tanaka leans back in his chair, hands tucked behind his head. “S’what I did.”

“Didn’t she reject you for two years or something?”

“Yeah, well, we’re _married_ now,” he points out, grinning.

“Oh, you’re never gonna stop using that, are you.”

His grin is blinding. “Nope.”

“Hey!" Nishinoya's voice is booming even without the mic. "Ryu! Get up and dance!"

Ryu rolls his eyes, laughing, and he holds a hand out to Kanoka. "C'mon," he groans, getting to his feet. "If I've gotta do this, so do you."

She laughs, and lets him pull her to her feet. She puts her hands on his shoulders. In heels, she's quite a bit taller than him; she's taller than him without the heels too, but it's not quite so noticeable. Fifteen years and this is still the same.

"Kanoka," he says, and his voice is so serious it makes her meet his eyes. "You just have to be honest with her."

"There's no perfect way to tell someone you love them. Hell, I _proposed_ to Kiyoko the first time we met. Definitely wasn't the right move." He shrugs, smiling. "You just have to do it. Then you deal with what comes next."

Hitoka clears her throat, and they both turn to look at her. "Mind if I cut in?"

"Oh, she's all yours," Ryu says gleefully, and he pats Kanoka on the shoulder. "I'm gonna go steal a dance with my wife-" He pauses. "Holy shit," he says. "She's my _wife_. I love saying that."

He's gone in a flash, and Kanoka and Hitoka both burst out into laughter. Hitoka puts a hand on Kanoka's shoulder, smile easy.

"You know, I was worried about putting Nishinoya in charge of the playlist," she admits. "But I think it all worked out."

"You know what? I forgot that he was the one who chose this song."

They sway slowly to the music. Hitoka's hand on her shoulder is warm, so warm, and Kanoka's heart is whole. She could say something now, but the moment feels too fragile to touch, like anything will cause it to pop.

Tomorrow, she thinks. Tomorrow, she will tell Hitoka how she feels. But for now, she will listen to her talk about the wedding, and they will dance underneath the blanket of stars, surrounded by love.

***

 **Me [10:34]**   
Hey   
Do you want to get coffee today?

 **Hitoka [10:36]** I'd love to! What time would be good?

***

April is Hitoka's favourite month.

The weather is still perfect, blue skied and breezy, like the luck that brought them perfect weather the day of the wedding is bleeding over the edges. Like the love is bleeding over the edges. Hitoka stands outside the cafe as pink petals tumble off neighbouring trees, and she tries not to throw up.

The moment she spots Kanoka feels like a scene out of a romance novel - she's stuck in a crowd of dozens of people, but Hitoka's eyes go straight to her. There are pink petals tumbling in the wind, and she's so beautiful it makes Hitoka's heart skip a beat. She spots Hitoka and her face lights up, and Hitoka's heart goes straight to her throat.

"Hey!" Her smile is intoxicating. "Have you been waiting long?"

Hitoka shakes her head. There's a flower petal stuck in Kanoka's hair. She clears her throat and reaches up. "You got-"

"Oh." Kanoka frowns. Hitoka plucks the petal out of her hair, and runs her finger back and forth. The petal is soft. Her stomach is roiling. Her heart has lodged itself in her throat. "Thanks," Kanoka says, smiling, and Hitoka could kiss her right here.

You couldn't force a needle through Hitoka's throat, let alone words, so she lets Kanoka lead her to their table and order for the both of them. Her coffee order is perfect. She wonders when Kanoka learned it.

Hitoka isn't sure about a lot, but there's something about this that _makes_ her sure. Fresh air rushes into her lungs. Her stomach stops spinning. Her heart tumbles back into her chest. Steady. Sure. _I am sure that I love you._

"Kanoka, I have something to tell you," she says, at the same time that Kanoka says "I have something I want to say."

They both laugh, and Kanoka tucks her hair behind her ear. "You can go first."

"Okay." She takes a deep breath. She doesn't really feel nervous, not anymore. "I would like to get dinner with you next week," she says firmly.

Kanoka blinks at her. "Like a date?"

Hitoka nods. "Like a date."

There's a pause. "Well," Kanoka says slowly. "I was going to tell you that I wanted to take _you_ out for dinner, but I guess you beat me to the punch."

Hitoka sucks in a breath. The world feels ten times as vivid. "What-"

"Hitoka," Kanoka says. "Can I kiss you?"

It's all she can do to nod. Kanoka leans across the table and pulls her into a kiss, and god, Hitoka's kissed girls before, but it's never felt like this. Like her world is turning upside down and yet perfectly right. Like everything is tipping into place.

Kanoka breaks the kiss and smiles at her. "How does Sunday sound?"

The sky is blue and breezy. It feels like the love is bleeding over. "It's a date," Hitoka says.

It's a start.

**Author's Note:**

> aaaand that's it for chapter 1! huge shoutout to my [beta](https://twitter.com/potatorrito/) for putting up with my shenanigans for the larger part of 5 months. also a huge shoutout to the artists for this fic, [jess](https://twitter.com/wishgrub/) and [raf](https://twitter.com/sapphoaoi/) for their amazing pieces! i will be working on chapter 2, as well as making some edits to chapter 1 in the future, but it might be a while. you can find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/luckygrub/), and be sure to check out the wonderful art that was made for this fic!! jess drew the [wedding scene](https://twitter.com/wishgrub/status/1371138000130863104?s=20) and raf drew [two](https://twitter.com/sapphoaoi/status/1370998972777701379?s=20) [scenes](https://twitter.com/sapphoaoi/status/1370998972777701379?s=20) from chapter two - you can read these scenes [here!](https://twitter.com/luckygrub/status/1371303073881202688?s=20) sneak peek until the rest comes out :)


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